


Falling In Reverse

by Syluk



Category: Naruto
Genre: Action, Alternate History, Crossing Parallels, Dimension Travel, Family, Family Bonding, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Parallel Universes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-10-05
Packaged: 2018-11-15 23:58:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11241987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Syluk/pseuds/Syluk
Summary: Mix in Juubi's bijuudama, two Susanoo, few Mangekyou Sharingans, the power of Rinnegan, the chakra of the Kyuubi, some Ninjutsu, add some uncanny sort of luck, and you will get one dimensionally misplaced Jinchuuriki. Or where Naruto and Kurama are thrown into another world that is as messed up as their own.(Dimensional travel/parallel world universe)





	1. Chapter 1

A wave of explosion from where jutsu had clashed hit Naruto full force and he was thrown across the field, landing hard on the ground in a cloud of dust.

He was tired.

Naruto coughed. A sharp pain jabbed at his chest and side, a bitter irony taste irritating his taste buds. He tried to lick the blood from his lips, but his tongue felt like it was glued in his mouth.

He was so, so tired.

The blond Jinchuuriki heaved his broken body from the ground, ignoring strained muscles and the red liquid dripping from his numerous wounds. With some struggle, he stood up, planting his feet deep into the blood-drenched soil for much needed support, and straightened up.

He was tired, but he would not die groveling in the dirt.

Naruto choked out a chuckle, imagining the expression of those two pompous Uchihas that they would make seeing him stand up again and again and again. Because even if he would die, he refused to die as their enemy had dictated. He would choose his own way, clawing at it with his teeth and nails, as always.

Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze never gave up, even if he was completely exhausted.

Kurama was roaring in the back of his mind, and though the young man could hear him, the meaning of his words eluded him at the moment. There was constant ringing in Naruto's ears and uncomfortable pressure to the side of his skull that just wouldn't go away. He brushed the wet strands of blond hair off his face and grimaced at the blood on his hand.

Sweeping over the chaotic battlefield with his eyes, Naruto felt strangely detached from all of that. His chakra reserves were completely empty and he couldn't draw more from the Kyuubi if he didn't want to kill his friend or, more likely, both of them. He was beyond saving without Kurama's healing. Tsunade-baa-chan and Sakura were already gone.

Blue eyes snapped up as a colossal shadow fell over him. Juubi was staring down at him, its enormous red orb glowing menacingly even in the daylight. Obito Uchiha appeared on one of the beast's shoulders while reanimated Madara stood on another.

A small smirk tugged the edges of Naruto's lips. Both Uchihas sneered at his obvious mocking gesture, and all hell broke loose in the next minute.

A huge black ball of energy started to form in front of the open mouth of Juubi.

A ribcage of Susanoo suddenly flickered into existence around Naruto. "Silly Sasuke…" he wheezed out, unable to stop the tender smile.

They had reunited just a few days ago after a year being apart, without knowing that they both survived the primary battle and went into hiding after it. Sasuke together with his reanimated brother, and Naruto with Kakashi and the three reanimated Hokages, excluding the Sandaime who sacrificed himself so that the others could escape.

Obito ran his fingers through series of seals, but before he could finish, another Susanoo flung him from the Juubi's shoulder.

Naruto swayed, yet kept standing fueled by the pure willpower alone. He briefly glanced to the side, catching sight of bleeding Kakashi on the ground not far from him, the silver-haired man's Mangekyou Sharingan spinning wildly as he used his last strength in a vain attempt to protect his blond student.

The latter's smile grew a bit wider.

Itachi's Susanoo slowly dissipated into nothingness. After a moment, Obito returned to his previous spot, his own Mangekyou Sharingan and Rinnegan flaring to life.

A water shield, courtesy of the Nidaime, enveloped the area where Naruto was standing in the middle of Sasuke's barely formed Susanoo, the young Uchiha clearly pushing his last drops of chakra into it, just as the Juubi roared, sending its bijuudama forward.

"Naruto!"

The young Jinchuuriki winced as a shout, thick with despair and fear, reached his ears, overpowering the ringing. A sudden displacement of air, a flash of yellow hair and a white coat, and his father was in front of him, his bright cerulean irises surrounded by a black sclera brimming with concern.

Thin, gentle tendrils of red chakra uncurled from within Naruto's stomach and spread along his chakra paths as a sign of Kurama's unconditional support for the last time and also a goodbye for his first true friend.

Naruto couldn't help it. A peaceful, genuine grin, absolutely unfitting in this imminent death situation, brightened his features. He knew that he was extremely selfish by being happy when everyone spent their last slivers of chakra protecting him instead of fleeing; however, he allowed himself this last pleasure of selfish emotions.

Minato's eyes softened as he instantly understood the implication of his son's smile. There was no way to win this anymore, and they all knew it. Naruto accepted the death, but that didn't mean that he had given up. To wholeheartedly embrace the upcoming demise was the bravest thing a shinobi – no, a mortal man – could ever do.

Just before the black bomb of concentrated Juubi's chakra collided with them, the Yondaime hugged the younger man tightly, wishing not for the first time that he could feel the warmth of another person again and give it back in return. Having this reanimated body was a blessing and a curse at the same time.

The moment the world around collapsed, the last words Naruto had heard were just above a whisper, but for him, they had echoed throughout his whole being.

"I'm proud of you, my son."

* * *

…He was falling, Naruto realized with a start, and he was doing that for quite a while now.

Just how long could it be until he reached the ground? It couldn't have been so darn far away.

Naruto tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids were so unbelievable heavy that they'd refused to budge. He tried to move his arms, or legs, or anything. Nothing worked.

He couldn't get in touch with Kurama either. The lingering sensation of the old fox's presence at the edge of his psyche he was so used to, felt… cold. That sent ripples of panic throughout his mind. Not that Naruto could do anything with his body completely immobile.

And he was still falling.

Now that the blonde thought about it, he couldn't hear anything. He should have been able to hear at least the wind rushing past his ears, but he was surrounded by a deadly silence. It made Naruto uneasy.

And then in an instant, the stillness around him shattered. He cried out as suddenly an extreme pain coursed through his every cell. His ears and nose were assaulted by various senses, completely overwhelming his frazzled mind.

Naruto finally could feel the wind on his skin just before he crashed into the ground and his world exploded into devastating agony.

* * *

As soon as he emerged from the safe haven of unconsciousness into some semblance of awareness, the young Jinchuuriki felt a familiar tug to switch, and he let himself be pulled down into the seal.

" **Brat.** "

Naruto eyes shot open, sky blue gaze immediately zeroing on the huge form of the nine-tailed fox lying right in front of him with his head resting on his front paws. The Kyuubi observed him, his crimson eyes half-lidded and a small grin playing on his lips.

"Kurama!" Naruto exclaimed happily, relief washing over him. With a few wide strides, he crossed the distance between them and jumped on the fox's muzzle, burying his face into the soft fur and squeezing it like his life depended on it. "I thought I'd never see you again!"

Kurama huffed in a mild annoyance, but made no action to remove the clingy human from his person. In the past year, he got used to the little blond's affection. Living in a war-torn world among merely a handful of survivors and with only one of them _actually_ alive would have made even the coldest individual seek out any kind of friendly companionship. It just happened that Naruto didn't have to look far for one; he had it literally in his guts.

A muffled careful voice woke Kurama from his musings.

"What happened?"

" **Truth be told, I am not sure,** " the great fox replied, intently watching his human. " **Yet,** " he added. Crimson eyes narrowed a bit at the slight tension of the boy's shoulders.

"The others?" Naruto asked quietly. "Dad and Kakashi, and…" He suddenly whipped his head up to look at his friend, those bright orbs, now filled with horror and fear, standing out in his ghostly pale complexion. "I can't just lie around, I need to help them!" The teen scrambled on his feet. He felt only a small fraction of the pain his real body, currently controlled by Kurama, was enduring, but even that made Naruto flinch at even the smallest motion. "Madara, and Obito, and Juubi, and–" he rambled non-stop in panic as he slid from the fox's muzzle and almost planted face first into the water when his knees threatened to buckle. "They can't– Dad and sensei– Sasuke is– They–"

" **Easy, Naruto,** " Kurama soothed. He wrapped one of his tails around the panicked boy and pulled him closer. " **They are not here. Your body is a mess and needs to heal. You should stay here until I deem that it is painless enough for your fragile human's mind.** "

"But–"

" **They are not here,** " the beast repeated patiently. " **There is no one around us.** "

Naruto ceased his weak struggle and laid there in silence for a while. "So, where are they?" he put forward a question, his voice just above the whisper, broken and full of pain.

Kurama's eyes softened. " **I do not know,** " he confessed. " **Something happened when Juubi's bijuudama collided with us. We were… thrown somewhere else.** "

The Jinchuuriki blinked in surprise, turning his head to look into his friend's eyes with a small frown. "Thrown somewhere else?"

" **I had lost connection with you for a while after the collision, so I am not completely sure what exactly had transpired,** " the Kyuubi explained. " **But you and I somehow survived. We are safe for the time being.** "

The implication of 'you and I' wasn't lost on Naruto. He closed his eyes and took a shaky breath. A tear slid across his cheek, but he did nothing to hide it.

" **Rest, Naruto,** " Kurama urged softly. " **And then, we shall figure it out together.** "

"Thanks, Kurama," the teen murmured. His hand's fingers curled around the fistful of the fox's fur, anchoring him to probably his last friend left, and he sunk into uneasy sleep.

* * *

Naruto woke to a world of aches and pains shooting through his body, though it was nothing compared to the agony Kurama had saved him from.

Groaning, the Jinchuuriki carefully rolled from his back and onto his stomach so that he could begin the painstaking effort of rising himself from the surface he was lying on. His muscles quivered under the strain as he used his arms to push himself up.

Even before Naruto's eyes opened, an approaching whizz suddenly sent an alarm throughout his whole being. The blond barely had the presence of mind to process exactly what it was, when he was already moving, his body acting on pure instincts, engraved into him during the war. He jumped backward, clenching his teeth as not to let out a scream when hot pain shot through his still numerous wounds. There was not enough time, injuries were too severe, and Kurama was yet too drained to fully heal them all.

There was a sudden displacement of air, a flash of yellow hair, and a person appeared in front of Naruto. A rapid spinning sound reached the latter's ears, but he completely disregarded it as his gaze landed on the man. Happiness swelled inside his chest. "Dad…" the teen exhaled out with a small smile curling on his lips, all of his relief crammed into that one word.

Those familiar bright cerulean eyes widened, an utter shock crossing the older blond's features.

" _ **Watch out!**_ "

Naruto's irises flashed red as the Kyuubi forcefully took control for a brief moment, flinging his human's body out of harm's way. A Rasengan dispersed into nothingness, and the attacker leaped back, creating a bigger distance between them, to stand with his two companions.

Naruto groaned where he hit the ground, already pushing himself into sitting position with his arm around his aching ribs. "Dammit, Kurama," he cursed quietly. "Humans are not supposed to move like that when they're hurt so much."

A growl came from the back of his mind. " _ **Look more carefully, Naruto,**_ " the great fox urged.

"What do you mean?" the Jinchuuriki questioned in confusion as he lifted his head and quickly looked over the three men on the other side of the clearing, made by his crashing into the forest floor. "It's just dad, Kakashi-sensei, and–" the words died in his throat as what he was seeing finally caught up with his brains.

There was no doubt in Naruto's mind that the first man was Minato Namikaze. He saw the same sunshine yellow mop and the same color eyes every time when he looked at his own reflection, being a little carbon copy of his father. Hashirama teased them to no end about it during their one year hide and seek game with the Uchihas, especially after the teen let his front locks grow longer on either side of his face.

But the usually warm and loving blue eyes were now giving a glare that was freezing Naruto's flesh, bones, and soul, and he felt like standing nude in the middle of a hailstorm, where every chunk of ice was a frosted dagger cutting into his skin. His father seemed older; the teen noticed a few wrinkles around his eyes, which had nothing to do with a hard scowl etched on his features, and weary – more so than he had ever seen him. The black sclera was gone, meaning that the man was truly alive, not just brought back with a Reanimation jutsu.

Kakashi who was standing on Minato's left looked almost the same with his spiky gravity defying silver hair, his mask firmly in place, covering his lower part of his face. The man was alert, his stance ready to spring into action at any given second, as both his dark gray eyes scanned the clearing before eventually settling on stunned Naruto, fixing him with a sharp, measuring gaze. There was no vertical scar running over his left eye, no Sharingan spinning in that socket, not even his forehead protector slanted over it.

But it was the shinobi taking a position on the Yondaime's right who made Naruto's hair stand on the back of his neck and his muscle tense up the moment his cerulean orbs met the pair of the red ones with three tomoes swirling around the pupils. Obito Uchiha. He would never forget the person who sent the world into madness and chaos, who unleashed the raging inferno to devour forests and fauna and to cover the sky with its smoke, who slaughtered his friends and allies, who painted the young blond's life in blood, grief, and pain…

However, now Obito didn't give the same malicious feeling as the last time Naruto had seen him. He didn't have any scarring on his face either, which was beyond strange. Many things in this picture were wrong, but this particular Uchiha standing alongside his father and sensei topped it all.

Maybe not, for there was one more detail that made Naruto question his grip on the reality.

All three men had shinobi headbands tightly wrapped around their heads. All three headbands depicted a leaf with a swirl inside it, showing their allegiance with Konohagakure. And all three Konoha's symbols had glaring deep slashes across each of them.


	2. Chapter 2

Drawing a blank, Naruto stared at the three familiar but at the same time so different people.

There was no way… No way that his father was truly alive, that Kakashi had both his eyes intact, that Obito was apparently considered comrade by those two.

…Or that all three were Konoha's missing-nins.

It made no sense at all and was utterly impossible.

" _ **Snap out of it, boy!**_ " Kurama roared in his mind. " _ **Stop spacing out in front of possible hostiles!**_ "

" _But… Kurama, that's–_ "

" _ **I know. I can see it myself,**_ " the fox replied in a growl. " _ **Now, focus!**_ "

And focus Naruto did. When he calmed down and his brains restarted, he suddenly felt a surge of anger. That certainly couldn't be his father or his sensei! They wouldn't be standing nonchalantly next to that despicable Uchiha! How these bastards dared to pretend to be them!

The Jinchuuriki stood up, his fury pushing all the pain to the side, and met the glare of those cold azure eyes with the matching glare of his own. "Who the hell are you?!" he demanded. "You do a bad job impersonating the Yondaime and Kakashi! They would never allow that particular Uchiha come even close to them!"

Kakashi shot a fleeting glance towards Obito who frowned at his words. Minato narrowed his eyes, but didn't move them from the teen. "It appears that you know who we are," he spoke in a calm and measured tone, but with a hint of steel. "But you have us at a disadvantage as we don't know who you are."

Naruto couldn't suppress the hurt flitting across his features at hearing those words. "You don't…?" he more mumbled than asked. He felt so confused. If these were impostors sent to deceive him, they wouldn't state that they don't know him, right? Absolutely nothing made sense from the moment he woke up.

Maybe the Uchiha had put him under a genjutsu?

It seemed that Kurama had the same thought, because the young ninja felt a disrupting burst of chakra coming from the fox. It changed nothing though.

"Your name, ninja," the Yondaime ordered, his soft tenor holding a startling amount of authority.

The Jinchuuriki scowled. 'You should know it! You named me myself!' he wanted to scream, but instead, what left his mouth was a quiet, "Naruto Uzumaki."

If possible, his father's gaze got even colder and his already balled fists tightened further. "Is this a joke?" A question came out in a dangerously low voice that sent an alarm throughout Naruto's mind. "Does that man truly believes that this," Minato jerked his hand at the younger blond, "will somehow mislead me into thinking that–" he abruptly cut himself off and closed his eyes, taking in a breath and composing himself.

"…What man?" Naruto blurted out, getting even more baffled, his mind already reeling with possibilities. Madara? Kabuto? ...Obito? He glanced at the Uchiha. "What are you talking about?"

"Enough of this charade!" When Namikaze looked at the teen again, his face remained completely emotionless, except a smoldering rage that burned deep within his piercing blue eyes. "I will not stand it any longer."

The Jinchuuriki's eyes widened as suddenly there was a familiar three-pronged kunai flying towards him with a speed he could barely match in his current state. Not to mention, he was weaponless – his entire ninja arsenal had been used in a previous fight with Uchihas and the Juubi. Not even a single shuriken was left on his person.

He successfully ducked the kunai to the side. Naruto and Minato sparred and trained a lot during that one year, and thus the young Uzumaki knew his father's fighting style like the back of his hand. He knew that the older man would flash right behind him with a blade in his hand or the Rasengan already formed, but also realized that there was no way he would be able to dodge that attack in time. So, Naruto instinctively reached for the second active beacon he could feel nearby and teleported several steps away to the first kunai that was sitting embedded into the spot where he previously had been lying.

His use of Hiraishin seemed to catch all three hostile ninjas off guard, because Naruto gained a few seconds to grab the kunai and deactivate the seal formula on its handle so that Minato couldn't use it, before all of a sudden the whole world around him twisted and swirled.

A confused "What the…?" left the teen's mouth, when a burst of Kyuubi's chakra disrupted the flow in his coils, and everything instantly returned to normal.

Kakashi was upon him, the edge of his sword glistening against the sun as it made its downward descend towards his neck. Naruto lifted his newly acquired weapon just in time to parry the attack, but there was no strength in his arms, and he was forced to back away instead.

The coordinated movement on his left and right caused Naruto to panic. " _Kurama!_ " he yelled in his mind and instantly felt an influx of his partner's chakra. The yellow shroud of the nine-tailed fox mode flared to life, taking a shape of a full-length haori, and with a last longing glance at his father, Naruto vanished in a yellow flash, moving too fast for a naked human eye to perceive.

The Jinchuuriki landed in a tree quite a way from his crash site. When Kurama's mode disappeared, he felt thoroughly exhausted, but there was no time to rest. Naruto had to flee before Minato's team could catch up with him. He could take the so needed rest once he would be at the safe distance from them.

The young ninja hoped through the trees in silence, when the Kyuubi spoke, " _ **Naruto–**_ "

"What the hell is this?!" the teen interrupted him. "That's definitely not the Infinite Tsukuyomi! It creates the perfect world, and in my perfect world my dad and sensei are not trying to kill me!"

Kurama didn't respond. Being as confused as his human friend, he honestly didn't know what was happening. He had a nagging feeling that he had somewhere, somehow heard about something similar, but the answer was still out of his grasp. The Kyuubi needed time to think. And the little brat needed time to heal.

" _ **Kid, you need to rest,**_ " the fox noted gruffly. There was no reaction from the blond, so he huffed and tried again, " _ **Naruto–**_ "

"Fine!" the Jinchuuriki snapped, but then sighed. "Sorry… Can you–?"

" _ **Of course.**_ "

Naruto blazed through the series of hand seals, stopping on his most used one – cross seal. There was a build-up of the Kyuubi's chakra before it all went away with a big cloud of smoke. At the same moment, the teen landed on the tree branch and suddenly swayed, his knees finally failing to hold their own weight. He slipped and tumbled down head first, but instead of a hard earth, his body fell into a soft pile of fur.

The horse-sized copy of Kurama gracefully landed on the ground with his human safely cocooned inside his tails. The fox looked around, and, seeing nothing threatening, lay down under the same tree. " **You alright, Naruto?** " he asked, glancing at the boy, hidden under all the fur.

The teen murmured something incoherently, snuggling even deeper. "Have I ever told you how much I love your tails?" came a muffled question after a minute.

" **Keh,** " the great fox scoffed. " **Keep your petty flattery to yourself, brat.** "

Naruto smiled, already half asleep. He didn't have to see his friend to know that there was a pleased smirk on his lips, despite calling his words a petty flattery.

* * *

"…He's gone," Obito informed, his active Sharingan still wandering the rows of trees, searching for any sign of the unknown ninja.

"That was strange," Kakashi stated, slipping his katana into its sheath on his back.

Minato turned around without saying a word, briskly walked to the nearest tree, and punched it. The poor thing shook, his trunk creaking painfully, but withstood it. The blond put the forearm against its bark and rested his forehead on it.

Kakashi and Obito observed their sensei, but didn't comment on his abrupt explosion of anger. They both looked around the clearing.

"It really is strange," the raven agreed. "It looked like he was plucked out from one hell of a battle, but I can't see any signs of fighting taking place here."

Kakashi hummed in assent, crouching down to inspect the center of what appeared to be a crater of someone crashing into the ground. He looked up into the sky, but saw nothing out of order. "It seems that he fell from the sky," he surmised. "Perhaps an air battle?"

"So, the guy wears a forehead protector with 'Ninja' written on it, can use Hiraishin, his eyes can turn red, he's pretty much immune to genjutsu, engulfed in some kind of yellow chakra flames he can move so fast that even Sharingan can't perceive, he calls you," he pointed at Kakashi, "his sensei, he fell from the sky, and he…" Obito paused, glancing at motionless Minato, and then shook his head. "Did I forget anything?"

The other ninja smiled, his both eyes closing in bliss. "He also doesn't like you."

The Uchiha scrunched his face up in a classic annoyed 'Really, Kakashi? Really?' expression, and Kakashi sniggered. It was totally worth it.

"Anyway," the silver-haired jounin said, running through a series of hand seals before slamming his palm on the ground. Lines of summoning seal spread from the impact and a moment later a small figure appeared in a puff of smoke.

"Yo!" a brown pug ninken greeted the ninjas.

"Pakkun, can you find a smell of an unknown ninja around this place and follow his trail?"

"Sure," the dog answered, quickly moving around the area, sniffing around. He seemed more and more confused, then finally he simply sat down at the spot where unknown vanished and stared at the humans, baffled.

"What it is?"

"Why do I smell Na–?" he abruptly cut himself off, shooting a nervous glance towards their blond companion. "I smell the  _kid_ ," he whispered so that the said man wouldn't hear him.

Two jounins shared a glance. From all the physical senses, the smell was the hardest to fake, especially against the nose of a specialized ninken. If someone was so thorough with this deception, it promised great troubles ahead.

Kakashi furrowed his brow. "You sure?"

"As much as I'm sure that my paws are soft and lovely," Pakkun guaranteed, then turned to Obito and lifted one of his front legs, showing its pads. "Wanna touch it?"

"No!" The Uchiha exclaimed. "And, oi! Why are you all picking on me?!"

The pug shrugged. "Your loss." He looked back at his master and continued, "I also can't follow the smell trail, it ends right here."

Kakashi sighed. "Thanks, Pakkun."

"No problem," the summoning dog responded and promptly dispelled.

"No luck?"

Both ninjas turned to look at Minato who approached them wearily scanning the surroundings with his dulled blue eyes.

"Nothing, sensei," Kakashi replied. "Whatever that chakra cloak was, it blocked all the smell. We lost him."

The blond knitted his eyebrows together. "I have a feeling that it wasn't the last time we saw that unknown," he stated, fixing his hard gaze on Obito. "Maybe it's a new plan to divide us."

"Pff, fat chance," the raven snorted. "Uchihas will always stay loyal to you, sensei."

Minato's eyes softened, but he didn't smile. No one witnessed his smile from the events on that fateful day. "I know, Obito, and I appreciate your clan's support," he said gently. "But that man never starts something without being sure about it. We need to be cautious," he warned his pupils, and they both nodded. "For now, we have a mission to continue. The unknown might or might not be part of what is killing our allies, and we desperately need to figure it out. We can't lose more people."

"I will send one of my crows to a rendezvous to warn Itachi's and Rin's teams about the unknown ninja," Obito informed, already making the sequence of summoning seals.

"Good. After that, we'll be moving out."

* * *

Naruto woke up well rested. His body felt stiff, but the pain was finally gone.

The Jinchuuriki pushed Kurama's tails off of him and sat up, yawning and stretching out, working out all the kinks in his muscles.

The Kyuubi observed the young blond before asking, " **Feeling better?** "

"Yeah." The teen's stomach rumbled, demanding food, and Kurama chuckled. "How long was I out?" Naruto inquired, jumping to his feet and starting some easy exercises.

The fox hummed. " **About fourteen hours.** "

The blond froze in his stretching. Then he whirled around to glare at his friend. The fox was now sitting instead of lying, and Naruto had to lift his head up that he could look into red eyes of the Kyuubi clone. "And you let me sleep for that long?!"

" **Of course,** " Kurama answered easily. " **We cannot have you falling out of trees. You need to be at your best if we want to figure this strange situation out.** "

A deep frown creased Naruto's face. "Strange situation… That's one way to put it when your father and sensei are trying to kill you…" he muttered before his stomach growled again and he rubbed it soothingly. "First, I need to get some food and water inside me." He looked at his clothes and his frown deepened. "And I need to wash and change."

Without even thinking, Naruto put his hands into a cross seal, and ten clones popped into existence. "You two – try to find something to eat," the original ordered the clones standing at the very left, and they saluted. "The rest of you – find some water."

One copy wrinkled his nose in disgust, then turned to his fellows and announced, "Let's find a waterbody big enough for our stinky boss to bath!"

"Aye!" shouted all the others and then promptly scattered, ignoring Naruto's indignant, "Oi!"

Kurama was laughing his tails off. It always was hilarious to watch the blond brat bicker with his own shadow clones; it seemed like after using them for so long and so often, they got the mind of their own. Or maybe that was Naruto's way to cope with everything that happened, his own method to keep himself sane.

"Oh, shut up, you overgrown raccoon!" the Jinchuuriki barked, already spinning on his heel to walk in the random direction.

This time it was Kurama's turn to splutter in indignation. " **Hey!** " he exclaimed, trailing after the human. " **Do not lump me together with that loudmouth imbecile!** "

"When stop acting like him!"

" **Hn.** " The fox jogged past Naruto and 'accidentally' slapped one of his tails across the latter's face, causing the human to stumble.

"Haha, very mature," the teen grumbled, spitting out a few stray fur strands out of his mouth. Kurama sent a mischievous smirk over his shoulder.

Suddenly Naruto perked up and his whiskered face brightened with a smile. "Hey, they found water! Come on!" He leaped into the tree, Kurama following suit, and they both rushed towards the place where one of the shadow clones dispersed.

Soon they came to the end of the trees that opened up into a small lake. The air was warmer here, the sounds of insects and an occasional splash of a fish – somehow appealing. The water was calm, but had so many different hues of blue: reflecting the bright blue sky in the middle with a deep blue under while near the shore it was pale blue, nearly translucent. The ancient trees of the Fire Country, hugging the lake from every side, were mirrored on its surface and, as the lake rippled, they seemed to dance with a life of their own.

It was so peaceful. Like nothing was wrong with the world.

Naruto shot a smug grin at his nine-tailed friend. Then he quickly shed his dirty clothes and with a joyful cry ran on the surface of the lake before jumping high into the air and diving in.

" **Keh,** " the Kyuubi scoffed, but there was only affectionate fondness in his tone. " **You are still such a child.** " He plopped down on the ground, putting his head into his palm and leaning against it, closing his eyes, his tails lazily swaying to the sides as he thought.

After the Allied Ninja Forces were completely and utterly destroyed together with almost everyone Naruto had come to care about, they heard about some stragglers, however, their lives were snuffed out before their group could reach them. Naruto had almost lost his mind. Only Minato's and Kakashi's united effort managed to prevent it. Finally having his father in his life was the kid's saving grace, and he latched onto him and Kakashi with all the tenacity he could muster.

Kurama frowned, tapping the ground with his finger in irritation. Having those two attacking the blond brat so ruthlessly was truly disconcerting. The fox was genuinely happy that Naruto could still possess the strength to enjoy this short peaceful moment after all the pain and grief he had gone through and also after yesterday's events.

Soon, the two Narutos who were sent for food jumped from the trees with a dead rabbit and some berries and mushrooms. They begin to prepare the fire to cook the meat, while the rest of the clones surrounded their resting spot in a protective circle, staying on a lookout.

The original stayed in the lake for a few more minutes, scrubbing all the grime and blood from his body and hair until he felt clean enough.

" **I have a theory,** " Kurama said slowly when the blond finished his bath and came back to the shore.

Naruto raised an eyebrow in a mute question, at the same time activating the storage seal tattooed on the inner side of his left forearm and snatching the scroll that appeared from mid-air. "Yeah?" he prompted when the fox failed to elaborate.

The Kyuubi tapped his finger again, one of his eyes fluttering open in a slit to gaze at the human. " **Remember my words about us being thrown somewhere else?** " he asked, and Naruto nodded. " **I believe that all that power and energy clashing into the same spot accidentally ruptured the veil of reality and we fell right through that crack.** "

The Jinchuuriki furrowed his brow, simultaneously unsealing the set of spare clothes from the scroll. "Fell where?"

" **Alternate universe.** " Seeing the confused look on the boy's face, Kurama lowered his arm and stared straight into those blue orbs. " **My Father once told us about other dimensions. He said that at some point in time for unknown reasons, the reality had split into several paths. Its fragments split again, and again, forming an infinite number of parallel universes, each differing from another by one detail.** "

"So," Naruto dragged the mesh shirt over his head, "we get the universe where my dad died after sealing you inside me, and the one where he didn't, but somehow ended up as a missing-nin?"

" **Or where you had never been born, or you were stillborn. Maybe there was no attack on your birthday at all, or maybe I am the captive of another ninja village and you contain a completely different Bijuu. The possibilities are endless.** "

The teen slipped on his black and burnt-orange colored jacket and reached for his forehead protector that was dropped on the pile of his dirty clothes, frowning at the stained cloth. "And we fell into one of those alternate universes."

That was more a statement than a question, but Kurama confirmed it nonetheless, " **If my theory is correct, yes.** " He waited patiently while the teen processed the information, already ready for his next question.

"How do we go back?"

" **We cannot.** "

"What?! Why?"

" **There were so many things happening on the battlefield, so much chakra thrown around, it is quite impossible to determine what exactly caused the rupture.** " The great fox held the defiant glare of his Jinchuuriki. " **The cause was probably everything put together,** " he said. " **Do you know how to recreate that particular moment? The Juubi's bijuudama, Nidaime's water shield, a few Mangekyou, Rinnegan, my chakr–** "

"Okay, okay! I got it!" the young ninja admitted in a hurry. His shoulders dropped in defeat as his sad gaze wandered to stare at the calm surface of the lake.

" **Even if we could go back, do you really want to?** " Kurama asked softly. " **You should realize that there is nothing and no one to return to now.** "

"Yeah…" the blond whispered back.

A silence stretched on the peaceful lake's shore, the Kyuubi allowing the boy to mourn. It was the quiet voice of the clone that eventually broke it, "Boss, food is ready."

Naruto expelled all the air from his lungs in one long exhalation, wiping his sleeve across his eyes. "Alright," he slapped his cheeks with his palms, taking a deep breath. "What now?" he asked as he took a seat on the ground next to the fire. He passed the forehead protector to his clone and motioned to the lake.

Kurama hummed thoughtfully. " **We need to familiarize ourselves with this new world. So, reconnaissance,** " he stated, and the teen nodded in agreement with his teeth already sunken into the cooked rabbit. " **You should send a clone to each of the hidden villages to gather information of what is happening there.** " The Jinchuuriki mumbled something along the line of 'Good thinking.'" **In the meantime, we should speak with locals.** "

Naruto's lips twitched down into a small frown as he placed the stick with a half-eaten carcass of the rabbit back on fire. "You mean dad and Kakashi? ...And the Uchiha?" Something dark passed through his eyes. "I guess I can't call that man my father anymore."

" **It depends on how you look at it.** "

The teen's eyes immediately snapped up. "Huh?"

" **The Old Man also told us that while it is possible to cross between these parallel universes – which we are experiencing right now – there is one rule that cannot be bent even by godly entities,** " the Kyuubi began as he sat up and now stared down at the young blond intently. " **Identical substances from two different planes of reality cannot exist in the same universe.** "

Naruto blinked at him, his mind drawing a blank.

Kurama sighed. " **It means that Minato from our world and this Minato share the same essence,** " he explained. " **Thus while Minato of this world is not the one who has given you your life, he still may be considered your father.** "

"That's…" Naruto trailed off, a deep scowl on his face. "That's slightly confusing."

The Kyuubi chuckled. 'Slightly' was clearly an understatement. " **Indeed,** " he agreed with a grin before becoming serious again. " **It also means that you and I hadn't existed in this world until we fell into it. You are either dead or never have been born. And I…** " he paused. " **There might be no Bijuu to begin with.** "

"Or you got assimilated into the Juubi," the blond offered.

Kurama's tails shifted, betraying the fox's discomfort. " **That… is a possibility.** "

"Well," Naruto stood up and dusted his pants. "We go find da– those guys and ask them about it."

" **Do not forget that there is a chance that they actually are what their forehead protectors symbolize.** "

The Jinchuuriki rubbed his face tiredly as he said in a subdued voice, "Let's hope not." Then he dispersed the clones on the lookout from afar and created four more to have six in total.

Five of them were sent to the major ninja villages – Konoha, Suna, Kiri, Iwa, and Kumo – for reconnaissance, and the last one was to follow the group until they came upon some kind of known marker or a village to identify where exactly in the Fire Country they were located and then dispel, sending that information back to the original.

"I wonder if I can access Sage mode without Toads summoning contract," Naruto thought loudly after his copies left, tying washed and dried out forehead protector around his head. "It would be easier to find them."

" **Nature chakra remains all around us, regardless your contractor status,** " Kurama pointed out lazily. Suddenly he yawned, stretching his limbs. " **I'm returning to the seal.** "

"Sure," the Jinchuuriki replied off-handedly, already getting comfortable in a meditative position and closing his eyes. There was a loud popping sound, created by a release of the Kyuubi's clone, and then – silence. Slowly, it got filled with the sounds of nature: birds chirping, leaves rustling, sloshing of water, the occasional splash of a fish, buzzing of insects.

Naruto opened his now yellow eyes with horizontal toad-like irises, feeling calm and refreshed.

" _ **Told you so,**_ " Kurama commented smugly.

The teen rolled his eyes. "Alright, let's start from the place where we met yesterday," he said and leaped into the tree.

* * *

A few hours later, right after his clone dispelled, notifying Naruto about their position – the southeast of the Fire Country – he found a trace of Minato's team. It took almost half a day longer to finally detect one of their chakra signatures. Naruto had no problem recognizing Kakashi's presence: the latter was almost identical to his sensei's with only a few differences.

The teen squished the rising feeling of longing, focusing on here and now. And when he did, he noticed an irregular fluctuation in Kakashi's chakra as if he was gravely injured, causing him unconsciously quicken his pace. When his heightened senses picked up an entity following his sensei's counterpart, his blood ran cold.

A vicious, hateful growl echoed throughout his mind, the Kyuubi's bloodlust instantaneously spiraling over the roof, threatening to burst from inside of the seal on his Jinchuuriki's stomach.

Naruto lips pulled back into a snarl, revealing the prolonged canines, and his yellow eyes of the Sage bled into the deep glowing crimson, burning with barely contained rage. "It's them…" he seethed. The golden flames of the Kyuubi's chakra engulfed his body, and he blurred out of sight.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to clear something out:  
> Hiraishin doesn't leave yellow flash behind. It's an instantaneous, silent teleportation jutsu. Blink and person is at another spot. There might be some whoosh sound or breeze being generated, because of the air rushing into the space that was previously occupied by a body or vice versa - the air being pushed to make room for a body, but no yellow flash. I'm pretty sure Minato got this name because of his hair color. Humans eyes tend to be drawn to the brighter colors first, so with him wearing bland green/blue during the war, the first thing people would notice was his bright yellow hair.  
> Now, Naruto in Kurama's mode leaves yellow flash behind when he's moving. He moves too fast for humans eye to perceive, but until he reaches that speed, others will see him blurring out, hence - the yellow flash.
> 
> Other than that, hope you enjoyed! I truly enjoyed writing this chapter, kinda breezed through it in record time :))


	3. Chapter 3

Kakashi was tree hopping in urgency, alarmed and keeping all his senses open.

They had no idea. None of them expected that – the betrayal from the person they were honored to call their friend. Even with all their paranoia and caution, they waltzed right into an ambush. Only their honed skills through many years training and hardship saved their lives.

Kakashi gritted his teeth.

It's not like it was the first time they were stabbed in the back; they should have suspected. At the very least, took the possibility into a consideration. Betrayal stung. An aching emptiness after seeing your ally selling you out was impossible to get used to. The jounin didn't even want to start thinking about how Minato was feeling right now, his sensei gone through enough of that shit to fill several lifetimes.

"Dammit," he muttered, quickly scanning his surroundings as he flew by. "Where are you two?"

Their team got separated by enemies after the initial explosion, and it had been more than an hour as Kakashi was searching for Minato and Obito to no avail.

Suddenly, the ninja noticed a brief movement in his peripheral vision. He instantly pumped chakra into his feet and catapulted himself from the tree branch the moment he stepped on it, smoothly landing on the forest floor already pivoting on his heel, his hand shooting out to draw his katana.

"Relax, Kakashi, it's me."

The silver-haired man paused with a half-drawn blade and zeroed on the figure in the tree. "Obito," he exhaled, relaxing his tense muscles and letting the sword slide back into its sheath.

"What? Little Bakakashi was worried about me?" the other ninja teased with a smirk as he touched the ground next to his teammate.

"As if," Kakashi scoffed, causing Obito to pout. "Have you seen sensei?"

That question wiped any mirth present on the raven's features. "No," he shook his head. "Do you have sensei's kunai? I lost mine in an ambush."

"Yeah," Kakashi replied, quickly turning around and narrowing his eyes at the bush. But it was only a breeze ruffling the leaves. He pulled out the three-pronged kunai from his pouch and stared at the seal on its handle. "I activated the Hiraishin formula, but so f–" The words stuck in his throat when the feeling of a blade sinking into the lower part of his back caused his mind to screech to an abrupt halt. He glanced over his shoulder, meeting the Sharingan eyes of his friend, and then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Obito growled in frustration when a wooden log dropped down in the place of Kakashi. He looked at the weapon in his hand and his lips stretched into a macabre parody of a smile. There was blood on the blade, so his fellow ninja didn't completely come out unscathed before performing a replacement jutsu.

Once the fallen Hiraishin kunai in the grass caught his attention, Obito's smile widened even further. The Uchiha expanded his senses and soon it picked up the chakra signature of his silver-haired teammate. A spark of excitement jolted throughout his body. This would be a thrilling hunt!

* * *

Kakashi tried not to think about it, he really did. It turned out to be an impossible feat when he could feel the blood seeping from the wound.

The wound that his best friend had caused by stabbing him in the back. Literally and figuratively.

It made Kakashi feel nauseous. It was like the whole world was suddenly spinning around too fast to comprehend, but he was standing still. He felt dizzy and, at the same time, numb. Dread twisted his gut into a painful knot.

Had Obito truly betrayed them? Betrayed Kakashi, betrayed Minato-sensei, and all the others? Was that even possible? What about Rin and Kazuki? If, and that was a strong 'if', Obito was a traitor, did they know?

The pain and heaviness in his muscles grew with every passing moment, but Kakashi ignored it as he rushed through the forest.

Perhaps, it was the unknown ninja's fault. Maybe, he used some weird jutsu to mess with the Uchiha's mind; the kid didn't appear to like him very much. And he did try to convince them that he was a bad person. This could be that man's plan to divide them like Minato had guessed.

Kakashi needed to find his sensei.

The ninja grimaced when vertigo momentarily overwhelmed him at his movements. It seemed that the kunai missed any vital spot, but the injury still bled profusely and had to be looked at if he didn't want to bleed out.

Suddenly Kakashi jumped down, several shurikens embedding themselves into the spot on the tree branch he previously occupied. He quickly turned around with a kunai in hand and instantly froze on the spot once he saw his assailant.

Minato Namikaze. His sensei and something akin to the father.

There was no doubt of who he was, a unique hair color and the warm and usually calm chakra signature were a dead giveaway. But why, why he was attacking? He could clearly see that it was Kakashi.

It took the silver-haired man only a moment to shake himself from his stunned stupor, survival instincts kicking in full force, but the blond was already right in front of him, his own blade going straight for his student's throat.

Kakashi's hand was only half-way to block the attack…

…when without any warning, Minato was smashed into the ground when someone descended on him like a heavenly wrath incarnate. The yellow chakra shroud shaped as a full-length haori flared behind the person, demonic red eyes with slit pupils blazed with the heat of fury, and the lips were pulled back into a ferocious snarl as a white screeching Rasengan tore into its victim's flesh, burying him deeper into the soil, killing on spot.

The unknown ninja lifted his head, and Kakashi unwillingly shuddered when his eyes met those bloody red orbs. Some kind of chakra claw grew from the teen's shoulder and shot towards him. He managed to stumble one step back before it latched at his vest and shoved him to the side. Naruto flew past him, another wind induced chakra ball already forming in his palm.

Kakashi turned around just in time to witness Obito following their sensei's fate. He was slammed into the tree with an inhuman strength, the advanced version of Rasengan shredding his guts with ease. The tree cracked under the pressure and toppled over, shards of splintered wood flying everywhere.

The jounin didn't even know what to feel or think. Everything happened so fast – in a span of a minute – that his mind was left to scramble for some kind of reaction. Blood loss didn't help in this matter. But before Kakashi could gather his bearings, the blond ninja hissed in disgust, leaping backward from the corpse of his best friend.

…or what supposed to be the deceased Obito. Right in front of the man's eyes, the skin started to melt, the chunks of it slipping away from the unmoving body until it revealed only a white human-shaped figure with a pale green hair.

"I hate these things!" Naruto exclaimed, shaking his arm that just a mere moment ago was inside said thing. "Goddamn tree…" he muttered, inspecting his hand with a frown. "I know that they aren't really– Oi!"

Kakashi's eyes widened once his brain processed what exactly he was seeing and he looked at the body of his sensei. An unrecognizable mess of a white carcass was the only thing lying there. The feeling that these two weren't Minato and Obito was uplifting, happiness instantly washing over him.

"You okay?"

The man's gaze snapped back on the stranger and he actually let out a soundless breath of relief – the kid's eyes were normal again. Well, as normal as they could be while a cloak of the visible chakra surrounded one's person. Kakashi watched as the boy's expression twisted into a genuine concern with the edge of something else that he couldn't identify.

This ninja was an enigma. A very strong enigma. Kakashi doubted that he would be able to handle him alone, not with the raw strength and speed the teen just demonstrated. It seemed that he was also fully healed from whatever battle he had been in just a day prior, so a rapid regeneration might be added to his growing list of skills.

Naruto was getting evidently more anxious when Kakashi didn't answer him outright. "Maybe I should–" He was about to move closer before he suddenly paused and glanced to the side. "Dad is coming," he said, but then scowled and added with a lot more bitterness in his tone, "I mean…  _Minato_  is coming. …What? Where?"

Kakashi blinked. Was that directed to him? However, the young ninja was not even looking at him. He now stared at the opposite direction with an intense frown etched on his features.

"I can't believe that we're going for that Uchiha…" Naruto mumbled after a moment, already turning to leave. "I'm moving, moving, 'ttebayo! No need to get your fluffy tails in a twist."

As Naruto jumped into the tree, there was a pop sound, and Kakashi found himself staring at the exact copy of the boy, minus the chakra shroud. Without all the grime and blood covering his whole person, he resembled the adult version of the boisterous little blond Namikaze, whiskers and all, so much. Too much. It made his heart ache.

"You need any help?" the clone asked, still keeping his distance from the injured jounin as to not appear threatening.

"No," Kakashi responded curtly, finally putting down the kunai he was still clutching in his palm, but keeping an eye on the possible enemy. Though, he realized that if the young blond wanted to harm him, he would have already done that while the original was still here. In fact, it seemed that he owed him his life.

Naruto furrowed his brow, but said nothing, deciding to silently wait for his counterpart's father. The quiet voice of Kakashi startled him.

"Thank you."

The teen's lips curled up into a gentle smile and his eyes softened. "I'm just glad that I was on time," he said before his expression changed into one of sorrow. "Many have been lost because I was too late…"

That smile, the tender look in those cerulean eyes, the sadness mixed in with guilt, the chakra so warm, free, and swift, like a spring's wind, playful but able to turn deadly within a moment's notice – the similarity to Minato struck Kakashi hard. He gawked at the boy in shock.

He couldn't be the real Naruto, could he?

* * *

Minato landed in front of Kakashi, falling into defensive position. He could smell blood and that added to his growing worry. The blond shot a quick glance over his shoulder: his student was sitting on the ground with his first-aid package lying next to him, but didn't appear to be mortally wounded. Letting just a tiny bit tension leave his shoulders, Minato glared at the thing that called itself Naruto.

"Don't bother attacking, I'm just a shadow clone, 'ttebayo," the teen spoke. His voice was laced with irritation as his blue eyes observed the older man with great intensity.

' _Dad, dad, look what I can do! Shadow Clone Jutsu! …Eeeeeeeeh?! That wasn't supposed to happen, 'ttebayo!_ '

Unbidden, the memories rushed to the forefront of his mind, and Minato bit the inside of his cheek, narrowing his eyes on the so-called Naruto. Now wasn't the good time to wallow in his grief, pain, and guilt, if there even was a good time for such a thing. So, he pushed it all back to the deepest layers of his psyche and glanced at Kakashi again.

The silver-haired ninja nodded, confirming the unknown's words.

"I have a message from the boss," the clone stated. "He wants to speak with you and will be waiting with your… third member." He motioned at the direction to where the original Naruto went.

"Speak about what?"

"We have a theory," he replied before simply puffing out of existence, not giving any further explanation.

The plural form didn't go unnoticed by Minato and his mind whirled with possibilities. Was he referring to the original user and his clones or perhaps there was someone else with the impostor?

Taking a deep breath, he spun around, immediately dropping into a crouch. "Where? Let me see." His student didn't complain and lifted his shirt, exposing the patched-up injury on his back. Minato frowned, inspecting the quick patchwork. "How?" was another clipped question. "Was it–?"

"No," Kakashi cut off his sensei in a hurry. "To be honest, the kid saved my life." He sighed. "These white things looked and felt exactly like you and Obito, and he knew what they were. He intercepted them before they could kill me."

Minato raised an eyebrow, his gaze wandering towards the strange, unfamiliar white bodies.

"He's very powerful," the silver-haired jounin said slowly. "His speed and power are incredible. And he can use Rasengan, too. The advanced version of it, to be precise, combined with the wind chakra. Rather easily, it seemed."

The older man's head whipped back, an expression of surprise and disbelief plastered on his face.

While the first version of Rasengan was purely chakra manipulation at its finest and thus possible to copy, the one of the higher level, combined with nature's element, was an entirely different thing. Many tried, but as far as Minato was aware, he was the only one who could do it without Rasengan blowing into his face. And it still felt like an unfinished jutsu.

"Sensei," Kakashi called softly, "I think we should speak with the kid. He might really be Na–"

"No."

The sole uttered word cut off anything the younger ninja had to say. It had been years, but Minato was still hurting greatly from the tragedy that struck his life. The wound of the loss was still raw and bleeding.

"No, Kakashi," the older man repeated, his voice steeled with an authoritative finality. "We both know that it's impossible, and I will not delude myself into thinking that I can get my son back. I buried him – both of them – with my own hands. They are gone. Now," he said sternly, standing up, "we need to get Obito. Are you well enough to move?"

Kakashi sighed. Of course, he knew that, but somehow his instincts were telling him otherwise, and if he ever learned anything during his time as a ninja, it was that a smart ninja should always listen to his gut feeling. For now, he decided not to confront his sensei. There were still a lot of pieces missing from the puzzle by the name of Naruto Uzumaki.

"Yeah, I'll manage," Kakashi replied, hauling himself up. "Let's go."

* * *

Naruto glared at one of the dead White Zetsus, the rage still burning strongly under his skin. He hated these things with passion. It wasn't hard to deal with them, Kurama's ability to sense the negative emotions was invaluable in weeding out the clones, and they were pretty weak, but the young Jinchuuriki despised their skill to morph into anyone so flawlessly. To make friends and allies doubt each other, to think that your precious person betrayed you – that was the worst act in Naruto's book.

"How peculiar."

Naruto swiveled around, the kunai he took from Minato sliding fluidly from his sleeve into his palm. He found the possible enemy in an instant... and blinked in surprise.

It was Tobi. He wore a simple purple lined black cloak and a very similar orange mask with a spiral pattern focused around his right eye, but it also had the hole for the second eye too.

Naruto's gaze flickered to the motionless Obito, lying right next to Tobi's left foot. "How is that even possible?" he asked out loud to nobody in particular.

"That is a good question, indeed," the masked man replied, and while his voice was different, it still made Naruto's blood boil. "You," the man pointed at the teen, "should not exist anymore, but here you are."

The Jinchuuriki scowled, but said nothing. He just stood there, poised and attentive, and observed the new enemy.

Tobi tilted his head slightly to the side like trying to work out a riddle. "An anomaly," he stated calmly. "Alas, not so important in the grand scheme of things."

" _ **He probably did not witness us working together and therefore does not know about me yet,**_ " Kurama noted with a distinct tone of amusement.

A wicked and cocky smirk pulled at the corner of Naruto's mouth. "We're just gonna see about that, aren't we?" he asked.

The man stared at him. "Regardless what you want to do, you're powerless to change this grand plan that is already in motion," he said in a dismissive manner as he turned to look at the Uchiha. "Now, I will claim what I came here for."

Tobi reached for Obito, but before he could grab him, the latter's eyes suddenly shot open, revealing two spinning Sharingan. The raven slashed a kunai at the enemy's outstretched hand, then rolled away and jumped to his feet. Confusion flashed across his face when he unexpectedly staggered, his doujutsu fading away. Unable to keep himself upright, Uchiha knelt down, still trying to maintain his defence, but it was clear as day that something was very wrong with him.

Tobi glanced at his hand. Ignoring the shallow cut on it, he reached for Obito again. At that moment Naruto's shadow clone popped right in between them with a wind Rasengan already forming in its palm. The masked man leaped backward to avoid being hit by it and immediately shunshined away when hundreds of tiny wind blades shredded the spot he had just occupied, not even sparing a nearby tree and causing a big cloud of debris rise into the sky.

Naruto released the kunai out of his teeth where he temporarily had held onto it so that he could make hand seals for a wind jutsu, and grabbed it from mid-air. His hardened and concentrated glare never wavered from a black-clad figure, now located up in a tree.

"No wonder you took care of my… companions. It appears that you might be worthy to play with," Tobi declared, though his voice was still emotionless and dull as it was from the beginning. "But the cavalry will be here soon, so I make myself scarce. Till we meet again." With the last glance towards the Uchiha, he was gone.

" _ **This is bothersome,**_ " Kurama said thoughtfully after a few minutes when they were sure that Tobi was really gone.

"How can Tobi exist, 'ttebayo?!" Naruto yelled in frustration. "When he," he jabbed his finger at startled Obito, "is here!"

" _ **Calm down, brat!**_ " the Kyuubi barked out angrily.

The blond stilled, then let out a breath, brushing a hand through his hair. "This is so confusing…"

" _ **It is obvious that the identity of the masked man is different here,**_ " the great fox pondered once he felt the boy relax.

Naruto frowned. "Pain and the rest of the Akatsuki might be around, too," he muttered. "But I still think that we should just–"

" _ **No, Naruto. We already discussed it,**_ " Kurama interjected. " _ **You need to think about the consequences. This is not our world, and we know next to nothing about this one yet.**_ " After a moment, he added in a grumble, " _ **I cannot believe that I am stopping you from killing an Uchiha…**_ "

The corner of Naruto's mouth twitched up from the irony his tailed friend just pointed out, but it quickly faltered as his gaze fell on Obito again.

" _ **You now possess my ability,**_ " the Kyuubi spoke again. " _ **Can you feel anything evil in this human?**_ "

The teen stared at the Uchiha long and hard. "No," he finally admitted reluctantly.

" _ **Do you recall the presence of Obito Uchiha from our own dimension?**_ "

A low grunt that escaped Naruto's throat was the only answer Kurama needed to know that the brat got the message he tried to convey.

Despite being a ninja and a host to the greatest of Bijuu, Naruto never truly felt hate towards any other person or wanted to kill anyone in cold blood. It took Obito Uchiha burning down the world to awaken both of these emotions in him. There was no middle ground for the young Uzumaki; he either loved or hated with every fiber of his being.

Kurama did understand his Jinchuuriki's worries, but with so many uncertainties, he didn't want to lose an opportunity to gain allies in this new world by allowing the boy – no, both of them – to succumb to their bloodlust. Someone needed to keep the little blond idiot from doing something very stupid, and it surely wasn't the said idiot himself.

Naruto glowered at the man with his arms crossed in front of his chest, but didn't move nor show any other signs of wanting to attack him, keeping a safe distance from him.

Obito put his hands into a non-threatening position and was about to say something when Minato and Kakashi dropped right next to him. His eyes widened and he scrambled to stand up, but vertigo hit him in full force and he would have planted face first into the dust if not for Kakashi grabbing him just in time.

"Easy, Obito, it's just us. Are you hurt?" the silver-haired ninja inquired, already scanning his friend's body, looking for any visible injuries.

The raven squinted at him, looking dazed. "You're the real ones, right?"

Kakashi's eyes wandered to a few white remains scattered around and an understanding crossed his features. "Yeah," he assured with a smile, eyes closing instinctively so that the other man could see. "I was also attacked by these things looking exactly like you and sensei."

Obito frowned, focusing his bleary sight on his teammate. "You okay?"

"More than you. What happened?"

"You– I mean the one who looked like you injected something into me. It's hard to control my chakra or even to keep myself from falling asleep."

Minato broke from his staring battle with Naruto and eyed his student instead. "It sounds like a heavy tranquilizer, but we should let Rin examine you two as soon as possible." His gaze moved towards one of the white corpses. With his brow furrowed, he quietly wondered, "What exactly are they?"

"White Zetsu."

Naruto's voice drew the attention of all three ninjas.

"At least, that's what we call them where I came from," the young blond elaborated. "Zetsu can alter his form and chakra signature, creating a complete copy of another person and replicating their abilities to some degree." He glared at one of those things. "Perfect tool for turning allies against each other."

Minato's eyes narrowed into stormy blue slits, shining with suspicion. "And how do we know that you're not one of them?"

"My partner," Naruto deadpanned without skipping a beat. "It's impossible to imitate him."

His words seemed to alert Minato's team. "And where is this partner of yours?" the older blond asked carefully.

" _ **It is better to show them instead of merely explaining,**_ " Kurama suggested, his voice a pleased purr rather than his usual deep baritone.

Naruto's lips stretched into a mischievous prankish smile as he quickly flashed through the familiar sequence of hand seals.

Minato, Kakashi, and Obito fell into defensive stances with their kunai at a ready, prepared for anything the unknown ninja could dish out. However, they could have never prepared for what he actually did.

A huge cloud of smoke appeared next to Naruto, and instantaneously the three of them were drowned in an inhumanly malicious, sickening bloodlust that made their bodies stiffen against their will and their hair stand on end. A strong presence began to settle upon them, a force that threatened to overwhelm their minds by its weight alone. A bunch of tails emerged from the cloud, fanning out behind the orange form of the fox-like creature, broad and predatory. The bloody red, demonic eyes snapped open and pinned them in place with cold efficiency.

Kurama cocked his head up and pulled his lips into a vicious grin, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth in all their glory, as he spoke low and slow, " **Greetings, humans.** "


End file.
